Put an ice cube from your fridge into a glass of water. You have a piece of string(线) 10 centimeters long. The problem is to take out that piece of ice with the help of the string. But you must not touch the ice with your fingers.
You may ask your friends to try to do that when you are having dinner together. There is a saltcellar on the table. You must use salt when you carry out this experiment.
First you put the string across the piece of ice. Then put some salt on the ice. Salt makes ice melt(融化). The ice round the string will begin to melt. But when it melts, it will lose heat. The cold ice cube will make the salt water freeze again.
After a minute or two you may raise the piece of string and with it you will raise your piece of ice!
This experiment can be very useful to you. If, for example, there is ice near the door of your house, you must use very much salt to melt all the ice. If you don’t put enough salt, the water will freeze again.
61. We must use _______ when we carry out this experiment.
A. fridge B. some food C. a table D. some salt
62. How long will it take to carry out this experiment?
A. More than three minutes. B. Five minutes or so.
C. Only one minute or two. D. About ten minutes.
63. What is the task of this experiment?
A. Put the ice 
cube into the glass of water with the help of the string.
B. Take out the ice cube in the glass of water with the help of the string.
C. Take out the ice cube in the glass of water with your fingers.
D. Put some salt on the ice cube and then put the string across it.
64. How many things at least are used in this experiment?
A. Three. B. Four. C. Six. D. Seven.
65. We can learn something about _______ from the passage.
A. physics B. biology C. chemistry D. maths
Billie Holiday was one of the greatest jazz(爵士音乐) singers in America. Her life was just a mixture of success and tragedy. Her singing expressed her experiences and feelings.
Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday. They were young when their daughter was born. Their marriage failed because Clarence Holiday was often out. He traveled as a musician with some of the earliest jazz bands and inspired his daughter.
Sadie Fagan cleaned people’s houses to make a living. But she could not support her family with the money she earned. So she moved to New York City where the pay was higher. She left her daughter in Baltimore with one of her distant relatives.
The young girl Eleanora Fagan changed her name to Billie, because she liked a movie star, Billie Dove. The talented Billie Holiday loved singing. She sang and listened to music whenever she could. In one place near her home there was a machine that played records. The building was a theater where many famous singers also performed their newly-made songs for free.
Billie cleaned floors and did other jobs for the theater so that she could listen to the records. It was there that young Billie first heard the records of some famous black American blues artists of the 1920s. she heard Bessie Smith sing the blues. And she heard Louis Armstrong play the horn. Both musicians had a great influence on her.
Billie Holiday once said, “I do not think I’m singing. I feel like I am playing a horn. What comes out is what I feel. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That is all I know.”Billie Holiday’s parents divorced because _______.
| A．Sadie Fagan wanted to move to New York City |
| B．the family couldn’t support itself |
| C．Clarence Holiday spent too much time in working |
| D．Clerence Holiday was a strange person |
Who might originally have had an influence on Billie Holiday’s career in music?
| A．Sadie Fagan | B．Clerence Holiday. | C．Bessie Smith. | D．Louis Armstrong |
From the passage, we can learn that ______.
| A．Sadie Fagan was fond of living in New York |
| B．Clerence Holiday didn’t love his wife at all |
| C．Billie lived a happy childhood |
| D．Billie had a gift for music |
The underlined sentence “ What comes out is what I feel” means _____.
| A．Billie Holiday doesn’t like to sing for others |
| B．Billie Holiday’s songs reflect her unhappy childhood |
| C．Billie Holiday is fond of the songs written for herself |
| D．Billie Holiday’s music is greatly determined by her emotions |
In order to listen to the records in the theater, Billie Holiday_______.
| A．cleaned floors for the theater | B．changed her name |
| C．moved to New York | D．separated from her parents |
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive (存活) if the rain is spread throughout the year. If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing--very, very slowly--as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day, a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely. Many plants may survive in deserts when_______.
| A．the rain falls only in a few weeks |
| B．the rain is spread out in a year |
| C．there is little rain in a year |
| D．it is dry all the year round . |
Sand dunes are formed when_______.
| A．there is plenty of rain in a year |
| B．sand piles up gradually |
| C．the sea has dried up over the years |
| D．pieces of rock get smaller |
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is_______.
| A．too much sand | B．more sand than before |
| C．nothing except sand | D．something else besides sand |
It can be learned from the text that in a desert_______.
| A．there is no rainfall throughout the year |
| B．life exists in rough conditions |
| C．all sand dunes are a few feet high |
| D．rocks are worn away only by wind and heat |
What’ the best title of this passage?
| A．Deserts. | B．The plants in the deserts. |
| C．The rainfall in the deserts. | D．Sand dunes. |
The UK's education system is ranked（排列） sixth best in the developed world, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson in October,2012.
The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, says successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education.
International comparisons in education have become increasingly significant - and this latest league table is based upon a series of global test results combined with measures of education systems, such as how many people go on to university.
The two education superpowers - Finland and South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK is then only ranked at the head of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group including the United States, Germany and France. At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
These comparisons draw upon tests that are taken every three or four years, in areas such as maths, science and literacy - and so present a picture lagging by several years.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.
The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The two different education superpowers |
| B．The result of one report about education system . |
| C．The UK's education system is worst. |
| D．Finland and South Korea’S education system |
According to Sir Michael Barber, Hong Kong’s education system is ranked in the world.
| A．2nd | B．3rd | C．4th | D．5th |
All of the following statements is NOT true EXCEPT ________.
| A．At the lowest end are Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia. |
| B．Education firm Pearson is disappointed at The UK's education system. |
| C．The United States’ education system is one of the best. |
| D．There are many big differences in Finland and South Korea. |
What does the underlined phrase “comparisons” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．比较 | B．结果 | C．研究 | D．考试 |
What’s the common factor about the education system at the two top countries?
A. The shared social belief in the importance of education and its "underlying moral purpose".
B. The developed economy.
C The high value attached to education and the expectations of parents.
D. Having a culture that is supportive of learning.
It is under the CPC’s leadership that China has overcome many challenges in its economic, political and social systems and achieved remarkable progress the world has ever seen. Under the CPC’s leadership, China has become the world’s largest second largest economy. People’s lives have greatly improved, and hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, an objective fact no one can deny. At the same time, China is quickly becoming a major player on the world stage.
As a responsible nation, China has been playing a growing role and shouldered greater responsibilities in world affairs. Such achievements, especially for a nation with a size equaling to a continent and a population of nearly 1.4 billion, are not easy to make. What roles do you think CPC has played in China? Do you think it’s the CPC leadership that has made China’s economic miracle possible? Is there any room for improvements for the future role of CPC? What challenges will lie ahead for the future leadership of CPC? Please share your opinion with us.The purpose of writing the article is to ______.
A. describe the greatest changes in China.
B. describe the importance of China.
C. tell us some challenges facing the CPC.
D. gain more information about the roles the CPC plays in China. According to the passage, CPC refers to .
| A．Communist（共产主义） Party of China |
| B．Cost Per Click（每次点击付费广告） |
| C．card-programming control （卡片程序控制） |
| D．Computer Process Control（计算机过程控制） |
How does the author feel about the roles the CPC has played in China?
| A．Dissatisfied | B．Amazed | C．Annoyed | D．Proud |
The underlined word " miracle " in Paragraph 2 probably means _____.
| A．problem | B．disaster | C．wonder | D．event |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．What roles do you think CPC plays in China? |
| B．Why has CPC played an important role in China? |
| C．China has become the world’s second largest economy. |
| D．China has overcome many challenges and achieved remarkable progress. |
Have you ever had a day when everything seemed to go wrong, and nothing seemed to go right? Not too long ago I was having one of those days. I was discouraged, weary, and plain sad. My focus was on me. After all, no one else was experiencing the same trials I was.
I expressed my upset state to my mother, hoping for some pity. Instead, she said, “I heard Jamie was having a difficult day too. Why don’t you make her some cookies and take them to her this afternoon?”
I didn’t really want to, but decided that I didn’t want to go back to my other problems just yet. I made the cookies and arranged them on a little plate. Then I made a card with a sunflower on it and wrote a small note of empathy.
That afternoon I dropped by my friend’s house. I went to the door and rang the bell. Soon, Jamie came to the door and looked at me in surprise for the unexpected visit. Before she could say anything I rushed, “ I heard you were having a hard day and decided to bring you something. I hope your day goes better.” The look that came over Jamie’s face was one that I could never put into words. It was as if a darkened sky was suddenly lit with the golden rays of the sun; it was as if in that small act, her day was brightened.
I got back into the car and for some amazing reason; I felt a lot better myself. That day I experienced the truth that James Barri attempted to describe, “ Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Sunshine on a Rainy Day | B．Discouraged by Nothing |
| C．Giving Help to a Friend | D．Experience a Cheerless Day |
The author made cookies and arranged them on a plate _________.
| A．so as to show off his skills | B．to stop thinking about his own worries |
| C．not to let his mother feel down | D．not to show his sadness to others |
How did Jamie feel when seeing the author’s coming?
| A．She lit up very soon. | B．She was surprised and scared. |
| C．She couldn’t express herself. | D．She poured out all her worries. |
What do you think of the author’s mother?
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Willing. | C．Instructional. | D．Selfish. |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．dealing with others when they are angry | B．adjusting well the mental condition |
| C．taking mother’s advice every hour | D．enjoying oneself at any time |